Jess Nidora and the Dragon of Dread
by Amawyn Aleanvirrea
Summary: Jess Sloam has an abrupt end to her days of boredom and misery when the letter comes through the post. She meets with the strange old man and he tells her strange things like that her parents were famous. How can she believe that? Is she going to go to the strange school? What will it be like?
1. Chapter 1

It was the 11th August and like usual Jess looked out upon the wet street with utter boredom. She was still serving her punishment for eating Stuart Sloam's biscuits. It wasn't really her fault at all but around here she got blamed for everything. Even if she hadn't had a small nibble of his precious biscuits she would still have been grounded and banished to her cupboard of a room for slumping in a chair or talking when someone else was talking even if it was only to say thank you. This time was no different; Audrey Sloam sent Jess upstairs and shouted until she was blue in the face. That was the funny thing with the Sloams, the men go red and the women go blue when they're angry.

The odd thumping noise and then a clatter brought her out of her revere. Instinctively she looked to where the noise was coming from. She signed, typical just the post. Nothing ever happens around here she thought to herself. She picked up the she picked up the bird sticker book that was the only present that she had ever got and flicked through it. She didn't particularly like garden birds that much but did like the birds of prey quite a lot. But then, who doesn't? She had been given the book from the old care home that she went to when she was just a baby for a leaving present when she left at the age of four. Now, of course, having nothing else to occupy her time, it was pretty battered as she read it a lot. She had stuck the stickers in the first time she had got confined to her room and since then it had become a tradition that every time she got grounded sand sent to her small room she would read it until she knew every word of by heart.

Eventually the Sloams had sent her to a strict boarding school to get rid of her and at first she was happy, anything to get away from them, but then the teachers go stricter and stricter and started picking on her and treating her like an animal. She had learnt then not to cry because despite her young age, they still beat her. She was still ten of course and was looking forward to finishing at the awful boarding school and also her birthday, but was also dreading having to start at a whole new school which basically meant a whole new torture. She had given up hope of making friends after the care home because the children didn't like her. They thought she was strange and weird and they were right. She was weird. Things kept happening to her, she called them her special 'incidents'. Like this one time she was walking down the road and the cars wouldn't let her cross so the willed them to keep turning off down the other road and they did. And after about the five-hundredth car she saw turning she got a little freaked out and ran home. Another time was when it was raining and she was at her boarding school and they forced her to stand out in the rain for the whole of the cold winter night in only her underwear then somehow she was in her own secret room which nobody knew about.

She was sitting there on her bed turning over the pages of her bird book when the steady thump came up the stairs. She rightly guessed that it was Stuart. She braced herself for the torrent of words that will start to come bubbling out of his mouth as if he had too many bad things to say about her but not enough time to say it in. Jess turned round to face the door. As expected Stuarts ugly red and purple face came bursting in foaming at the mouth.

"Get down there you smelly little girl! Come on get a move on. Up, up, up!"

"What's the hurry?"

"What's the hurry? What's the hurry! I'll tell you what the hurry is."

Without another word he yanked hold of her oversized jumper and practically threw her out into the hallway.

"We're going out!" He shouted into her ear as she got up and brushed herself off.

She tried and failed to hide her enthusiasm at this idea because it would mean that she would get free use of the fridge and TV. Luckily however, he wasn't watching her but looking out at something in her bedroom porthole window. He grunted and mumbled something inaudible about what sounded like 'owls' but she couldn't make out what he said exactly.

She walked slowly downstairs and slipped quietly into the sitting room hoping that they would ignore her so she didn't have to go through the 'don't touch anything, and if you do then you will be sorry!'

With relief she heard the front door slam shut and the car drive away. The first thing she did however was check that they had definitely gone because if they come back and she was watching the TV then Audrey would probably slap her. She walked to the front door and peeked out of the curtains. She noticed that she was standing on the letters that she heard come in earlier. She bent down and picked them up looking through them as she walked slowly into the kitchen mumbling as she did so.

"Junk, junk, Mr. S Sloam, junk… Miss J Nidora… why is my name in brackets? Nidora? That isn't my name."

Jess gaped open-mouthed at the letter. She didn't know anyone to give her a letter so…who was it from?

She half ran back to the kitchen in a desperate frenzy to open it. She dumped the rest of the letters onto the table. Jess looked at the front of the letter. The address was a little strange, it read:

**Miss J Nidora, (Miss J Sloan)**

**The Attic Room**

**36, Crimp Road**

**Barbary**

**Cambridgeshire**

The font was in a beautiful handwriting and the colour was a vivid, bright green. When she turned_ her_ letter over the writing shimmered in the light. On the back was a badge with a lion, a snake, a badger and an eagle with a 'H' in the middle. The word that really stood out however was the word inscribed above it. Hogwarts.


	2. Chapter 2

Jess knew that this was important; she knew that it was life changing. She savored the moment of breaking the red seal, and slowly opened the letter.

She finally had her first peek of what was inside the letter so she took out the contents. Inside there were four bits of paper. Jess looked at the first one. The writing was exceptionally neat and tidy and was written in the same green colour as the writing on the envelope. She didn't look at the writing for long however, for she was keen to read what mysteries lay inside. The letter read:

**_Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_**

**_Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore_**

**_(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc, Chf. Warlocks Supreme Mugwump, International Confed, of Wizards)_**

**_Dear Miss. J Nidora,_**

**_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry._**

**_Please find the enclosed list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on September 1st. No need to send an owl, as we already know you are planning on attending._**

**_Yours Sincerely,_**

Then there was a neat signature and then it continued:

**_Minerva McGonagall,_**

**_Deputy Headmistress_**

Jess was confused; was this some kind of joke? Was this a new type of bullying? There were lots of strange things in it like 'School of Witchcraft and Wizardry' and 'Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc, Chf. Warlocks Supreme Mugwump, International Confed, of Wizards'. Not to mention the actual letter. Firstly they had obviously got her name wrong, or this was not her letter. She thought through both options and realized that the latter option was probably truer. Secondly if she was right and this was not her letter then it would make even more sense because she had not applied to any school called Hogwarts. Unless her adopted parents did. But then she wouldn't want to go anyway because it would be a new torture.

Jess re-read the rest of the letter again. No need to send an owl? What could that possibly mean, and how did they already know that she was planning to attend. That was obviously not true because she wasn't. She didn't even know about it.

She wanted to find out the list of necessary books, to see if she had any already. Subconsciously she had already decided that she would do anything to go to the mysterious school. She flicked to the second page and read it. Then she did a double take. It read:

**_Uniform_**  
**_ First year students will require:_**

**_Three sets of plain work robes (black)_**

**_One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear_**

**_One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)_**

**_One winter coat (black silver fastenings)_**

**_(Please note that all pupils clothing should carry name tags)_**

**_Course Books_**

**_All first year students should require a copy of each of the following:_**

**_The standard book of spells (grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk_**

**_A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot_**

**_Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling_**

**_A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration by Fanese Switch_**

**_One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore_**

**_Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger_**

**_Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Seamader_**

**_The Dark Forces: A guide to self-Protection by Quentin Trimble_**

Jess couldn't believe her eyes. She blinked a couple of times, trying to make sense of it. In disbelief she flicked onto the third letter. This one was just as strange and made-up:

**_Other Equipment_**

**_1 wand_**

**_1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)_**

**_1 set of glass, crystal phials_**

**_1 telescope_**

**_1 set of brass scales_**

**_Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad._**

**_PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS_**

Jess wanted so badly to believe that this was all true, but how could she?

She turned to the fourth page. This one was different. Instead of neatly written handwriting it was scrawled in a way that was obviously done quickly. It was just a short message in black ink:

_**Jess,**_

_**There is a lot to explain to you but it needs to be done face to face. Meet at Kings Cross station at one o'clock on Saturday 12th August.**_

_**Albus Dumbledore**_

It was Friday today, Friday the 11th. The meeting was tomorrow. She knew she wouldn't miss this if it was the last thing she would do. Which it probably was, considering her adopted parents. All she needed to do now was get to Kings Cross Station.

**hi sorry i realised that there weren't any bullit points but there was meant to be so I've just put it onto a different line sorry,**

** Amawyn**


	3. Chapter 3

It was five twenty-five when Jess ran up the stairs as she heard the car doors slam. The Sloams were back. In her hand was the Hogwarts letter she had received earlier in the day.

All afternoon she had been plotting about how to get out tomorrow. Finally she had come up with the idea of saying that she needed to get some vegetables to make dinner. Once she was out they wouldn't call to see where she was and she should have all day if she left early enough. Or even better, if she left a note on the table and snuck out they could not stop her. It would be easy enough to buy some groceries on the way home. The only problem left was the money. She didn't have any so the best way of getting some was to get some out of the big stash that was always kept in Stuart's pocket. Luckily for her though, she had a plan.

It was a Friday night and the news would be coming on at six so Stuart and Audrey came up the stairs at five thirty to change into their night-clothes. Stuart always hid is wallet in a different place each night. Then they would go back downstairs to watch the news until ten o'clock when they would return to bed. This was routine. It happened every Friday.

Jess knew what she had to do.

She crept into their room and hid behind the long red, draping curtains. This hiding spot was perfect; she got a clear view of the whole room and they never looked too closely at the curtains. Who does?

She was all ready and in place when she heard the rhythmic thud of Stuart and Audrey coming up the stairs. She was dreading the first bit of this operation. The bit when they had to get changed so she shut her eyes tightly when they came into the room. They were in a hurry since they were one minute behind schedule. Despite jess closing her eyes she could still hear the grunts as Stuart struggled to get his polo top over is fat head. She peeked now and then to check that he had not put his wallet away yet. The worst time she peeked was when he was only in his pants and you could she the full extent of his bulging belly. However disgusting it was lucky that she looked because before covering up the hideous sight, he slid his hand into his enormous trousers and pulled out his wallet. He then went to the other side of his room, ignoring Audrey's bulging frog eyes peering at him as he did so, and went to the bookcase, took out a very think volume of a thesaurus and put the wallet behind it. He then slid the book back into the bookcase.

Jess, happy to know where the wallet was, closed her eyes and waited patiently until they had walked (or waddled in Stuarts case) downstairs.

She then waited several minutes until they had definitely got into the news. She always new because when they were into it Audrey started commenting on how ugly all the reporters looked and Stuart commented on how stupid the politics were. They wouldn't be paying attention to anything but the news for four whole hours!

Without wasting any more time Jess lightly walked across the room to the bookshelf and retrieved the wallet. She opened it up and saw all of the lovely bank notes inside. She counted then out and decided that there was over one thousand pounds in there. Stuart didn't trust the banks. He probably should, he would save more money.

Jess carefully took out six hundred pounds. She thought that if she took out that much then she could meet with this 'Albus Dumbledore' and then, if it all proved to be true, she could buy all her new things. She carefully put the wallet back and crept up to her room in the attic with the money.

She looked at the letters in the envelope that she had received earlier and decided that it would be best to keep it hidden so she went to the tiny chest of draws in her cramp bedroom and but the money and the letter in the bottom. Next, thinking that it would be easier to do tonight rather than tomorrow, she wrote a note that she would be out vegetable shopping all day.

All set and ready to go she set her alarm clock for six-thirty in the morning and went to bed early…

oOo

…Jess realised where she was, not quite knowing how she got there. Something was squeezing her. The bright lights were blinding. The screams and yelling was too loud. She was crying. They were squeezing her too tight! Then she was falling. She hit something hard and cold and rolled over until she hit something else…

oOo

Jess woke up all caught up in her thin sheets. She was sweating and cold so she tried to snuggle down into her blankets again. She thought about the dream she had just had. The dream she always had. But it was worse this time; it was more vivid. She could see the colours more. Green, lots of green, red, blue and yellow. She had always hated the colour green. She wasn't ever sure why. She just did.

Then just as her thoughts were drifting to what colours she liked she looked at the clock. It was five fifty-five. Time to get up.

She walked down the two flights of stairs quietly and put the ready-made note on the table. Then she checked herself in the mirror, making sure she was presentable, and stepped outside, ready to start on her journey to Kings Cross Station.

**Hi sorry about all the cliff-hangers but that last chapter was very important. i know not much is happening yet but it soon will. so thank you for reading it and it will get better. promise. remember to review! i need the tips. thank you from Amawyn**


	4. Chapter 4

**hi this chapter is a little longer than the others so I'm sorry for that. please please review because i really need the reviews as well thx. also i am going to try and update it every week rather than every two days because it wash't really working out. thx and keep reading and writing!**

The journey wasn't too bad actually, seeing that Jess hadn't checked the train times out before she came. She got there with plenty of time to spare, despite going in the rush hour. She trotted about the shops looking for the things on her list. She couldn't even find one thing let alone the whole list. When it was twelve o'clock she started to walk back to the station and went to one of the restaurants to have lunch and wait for the man that she was supposed to see. When it there were only five minutes to spare she left she left rather a large tip on the table and half-ran to the front of the station.

When she got there she sat down on one of the benches waiting. She was suddenly unsure though. Did he come to her, or was she supposed to go to him?

She was sitting on the bench looking at the grand entrance of Kings Cross when there was a popping sound. She thought nothing of it, there were many sounds in the Station, but a minute later she saw a very odd man.

His midnight blue cloak was dirty from sweeping the ground so much. Underneath jess could make out some high-heeled shoes. The cloak that he wore was very long, as he was very tall, and had stars and moons patterned on it. His silver hair and beard still was tucked into his ornate belt that matched his cloak with the same design of the stars and moons. He had a wrinkled face that had smile lines in it but was set in a grave expression. His nose was bent and crooked like it had been broken lots of times in the past. His eyes, however, where the most prominent thing about him. They were electric blue and gave the impression that they were giving you an x-ray examination. He had half-moon glasses on that he looked over so he gave you the full effect of his stare.

He caught her looking and she looked away immediately. Then he started to make his way over. This was obviously the man she was supposed to see. He was strange, like the letter.

She moved up the bench a bit too give him some space to sit down but he ignored the gesture and beckoned her to follow. At first she felt unsure of going with a complete stranger but she soon caught up with him.

He turned to her. "I suppose you have many questions to ask me." He sighed then broke into a brilliant smile, "There is time. But let us find somewhere a little more private."

Jess tried to bring up the conversation again while they were walking at the brisk pace that he walked at but she had to half run to keep up so it was pretty pointless. Finally he slowed enough so that she could start walking again. Gradually they came to a stop outside of one of the restaurants that she had passed earlier. She hadn't eaten there because it looked very expensive and she didn't want to waste the money that she had. It had large white arches along the tome of the building with a red mat under the canopy. It had glass doors that where a black tinge so she couldn't see in. no doubt the people could see out though. The whole front of it had the same black glass so it looked like a large mouth with the white arches and the abyss of black, especially with the red tongue mat at the bottom.

The man, whose name she remembered was Dumbledore from the letters, started walking towards it. After a moments hesitation she followed.

The inside was just as grand as the outside. A white marble floor with red carpet and a black ceiling was the style of the place. The chairs and tables were the black glass again. In between the tables were black glass separators that you couldn't see through.

Jess let out an involuntary gasp. This place is huge she thought to herself. However the man, Dumbledore, came in as if he owned the place and spoke to the waitress quietly. The waitress, who had black hair pulled into an elegant bun that was fastened with a neat clip and a black pencil skirt with a white blouse, looked Jess up and down and then back to him. Apparently she didn't think much of her style of dress. And she was right. Jess only had a leather jacket on and jeans with a plain top and converses. She felt really out of place. She'd never been to a place like this.

The waitress led then to a table that was alone and out of hearing distance. Jess felt nervous as she sat down opposite the stranger.

"Well isn't this nice." He said.

"Erm… yer." Jess stuttered.

"Ah… I am sorry, my name is Professor Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry." He held out his and across the table and jess shook it feeling slightly awkward. "And you, you are Jessica Nidora." He looked at her and surveyed her over his glasses. Jess couldn't look away but somehow she forced herself to look down. When she looked up again he was looking at his menu.

"I…I think you might have the wrong person. I mean for one thing my name isn't even Nidora it's Sloam, and for another thing, I'm just me so…" she drifted off and looked down again, embarrassed.

"Ah…but of coarse you are! You just don't know your heritage. It is a noble family, and it goes back a long way."

Jess forgot her nervousness immediately and started asking questions "You knew my parents! What were they like? Are they still alive? How do you know them? Where are they? Wha-"

He cut her off then with a flick of his hand. Jess waited bouncing in her seat impatiently.

When he answered it was slow and careful.

"They were brilliant people, but yes they have passed into the void and cannot return. They were aurors: people who hunt down rogue witches and wizards and bring them to justice in Azkaban," at these words he shuddered before continuing, "they were good at their job and they are famous for it. They brought down one of the greatest and worst witches ever. Unfortunately they died in the fight but their blood still runs through your veins."

Jess didn't know what to say to that so she just kept silent.

He continued, "The terrible deed was done on the 14th of August when you were just two and a half. It was at your house in Suffolk in a small village called Orford. You may not be famous but your parents certainly are. You should be dead. It's obviously a good thing your not, but how you survived…nobody knows. When a dark witch or wizard comes to kill you, you will die. There are no exceptions…except you. You and another boy more recently in another fight againt a dark wizard. He is gone but he will return. But for your survival it was probably more luck than anything else but I still think we can expect great things from you." He paused for a moment before his mood suddenly swung round and into a happy one. "And now we have some dinner."

Jess hadn't realized that the sun had set. It was dark outside and her stomach rumbled. All she had to eat today was a sandwich and a coffee. She panicked about how she was supposed to get home as well.

"Excuse me, but it's a little late and I'm not sure how I'm going to get home and also how I'm going to pay for this because it looks really expensive."

"Ah…not to worry I'll have you safely back home after we've had our meal and I'll pay as well so you can keep the rest of your money until we buy all of your school books."

Jess had quite forgotten about the school until he mentioned it. She wondered how she was going to tell them. Probably break the news right before they had to leave and then walk out on them. Otherwise they'll probably lock her in her room so she can't get out.

"Where exactly do I get my school books, sir? I've looked around but I couldn't see even one of the things on my list in the shops."

"It is because you are looking in the wrong place of course. To find them you must find the right place. How about tomorrow? Same time, same place? It will be easier that way."

"Err…well the thing is that my parents probably wont let me out again like forever so…"

"I'll speak to them"

"What? No! They don't know where I am! They'll kill me!"

"I'm sure the muggles cant be that bad." He calmly said.

"I'm not so sure and what are muggles?"

"Muggles are non-wizard folk."

The waitress came then to take their orders. Jess hadn't looked at the menu so she briefly glanced at it and ordered lasagna with a diet coke.

When she left (with a brief glance at Jess to see why she was dressed so poorly, but with no glance to the company she was with which was annoying) Jess brought out her Hogwarts letter and read through it again.

There were lots of bits she didn't understand so she figured that now was the chance to ask him about it.

"So the whole magic thing exists then?"

"If you mean that certain people can use magic to do good or bad then yes, that exists"

"And you want to teach me? Why I've done nothing magical in my life. I'm just me!"

"Yes and that's why we want to teach you!"

The dinner came and Jess looked at the overly large plate full with steaming, wonderful lasagna. She tucked in and it was the best thing she had ever tasted before in her life. Dumbledore had ordered ravioli and was eating his too.

They didn't talk much throughout the meal at all and quickly they came to the end of it.

"Was it nice?" he asked politely.

Jess nodded and thanked him for the meal. Without another word he looked round and pulled out a stick. At first jess was confused and was going to ask about it but she thought better of it and just watched as he pointed at the plate. He gave the stick a quick swish and right before her eyes it transformed! No longer a plate but a large pile of cash! Jess gasped, again.

"Is that allowed?" she asked.

"It is with muggle money but not with normal money. Now I think it is late and you should get home again."

He got up swiftly and glided out of the restaurant with Jess jogging at his heels. When they got outside he walked down a dark alley and waited there in the gloom with his arm out. Jess followed but more slowly and with more caution.

"Take my arm, and I warn you that you may be sick as it is your first go."

She took his arm and heard a shark pop and then was unpleasantly surprised at the horrible feeling of being stretched then squeezed like play do. She shut her eyes tightly until it was over and tried desperately to swallow back the bile that was building up in her throat. She opened her eyes and they were home.

She looked around again to see if she was mistaken but she wasn't. there was the drive with her house and the little porthole window of her bedroom in the attic.

Now she had to explain her absence to her adoption parents along with why she had brought, instead of fruit and vegetables, a very odd man.


	5. Chapter 5

**hi this is quite a short chapter and not much happens in it but i just love the ending and the cliffhanger there! please please review and let me know what you think because the only way for me to improve is to hear what you think of it! also if you have any ideas for where the store should go please review that as well. also theres probably some mistakes in it so please let me know and ill correct them. thank you for reading and i promise something will happen soon**

It wasn't very hard to avoid a telling off actually but then again Jess didn't stick round to watch. She ran upstairs as soon as she was in and hid in her attic room. She kept peeking out of her window though to see if he got out alive. Luckily he did. Jess wasted desperately to find out what he'd said to them to allow for her to go out tomorrow. She crept downstairs and stood outside of the living room listening.

They were in the middle of a discussion about what to do next. Whether to let the 'stupid girl' go to the 'stupid school' or to sent the girl back to the orphanage or to send her to another boarding school. Eventually they decided that they would not send her to the orphanage again because otherwise it would give Stuart a bad name if he couldn't even look after one kid of his own when his job was the head of schools in the government and he controlled how much they were all getting paid and everything. That's the only reason they adopted her, to get the appearance of loving kids. Audrey was a teacher and that's how they met but now she is a child minder so it would ruin her career if it got out. Not worth the risk they said. Jess was happy but also nervous at the same time to what their final decisions would be.

"Well we could send her to the other boarding school, you know? The one whose deputy head I know from work. They said we could send her there half-price and it was pretty cheap to begin with."

"Yes I know darling but this seems so much less hassle than there. Especially if she can stay the holidays, that would be good, to not have to get her home in the holidays. And also there's that weird man that said he'd sort her out with all her books and clothes. We wouldn't have to do anything, just let him do all the work getting the brat there and everything."

Stuart knew he was losing the battle, "Fine we'll send her there but only if she doesn't come home in the holidays."

"Well you better go and tell her then! Also tell her that she's going out with that creep that she went out with today," Audrey paused for a minute and with an evil smile continued, "tell her that she doesn't have to come home if she doesn't want to." She ended with an evil laugh to match the evil smile and Stuart joined in after a second of understanding the joke. Needless to say he's a bit thick.

Jess heard this and ran to the stairs hoping that they wouldn't see her. Luckily for her however he had to waddle of the sofa and up the stairs before he caught sight of her so it wasn't exactly a close thing. She got to the attic and jumped onto her bed pulling out the bird book and started to flick through the pages.

A minute later Stuart came in and explained the situation "Well Jess we think that you should go to this school in Scotland but with a few conditions. First you must tell everyone that you are attending a posh school that you board yearly at and second, that you do not come home in the holidays. You are to go out with the man that went out with you today and he will pick you up from here at eleven. He said that it might be a different man however because he has a lot of things to do. Also Audrey said to say that you don't need to come home."

Jess agreed and, celebrating the surprise at having won the battle that she didn't take part in, went to bed early to prepare herself for tomorrow.

oOo

…Jess had the dream again so knew where she was, and again, not quite knowing how she got there. The squeezing was there again exactly the same. Jess waited for the dream to play out and end. The bright lights seemed more vivid however, and she could make out some of the confused jumble of voices.

"No!" shrieked an old woman.

"You'll die before…take her now and run…no time to waste…yes I won't let her follow you…be careful…I love you." shouted a dying man.

"I wont leave you…no don't…Ahhhhhhhh!" screamed a woman.

The voices and screams pierced Jess through the heart and she didn't know what to do. She didn't even notice the squeezing or the bright lights, green, red and yellow and blue too. She just knew that she had heard the last screams of her mother. Then she fell and rolled until she bumped into the cold thing again, probably the wall.

oOo

Again she was twisted up in her bed sheets but this time she was sobbing and much more sweaty than she normally was. She punched herself, mentally, and checked the time. It was five fifteen so she got up and had a long shower to try to wash the nightmare away. When this didn't appear to be working she got out and got dressed trying to be as slow as possible because it was still only six thirty. When she was dressed she went downstairs and started to cook for Audrey and Stuart, like she normally did. This time however she decided to be extra nice since she didn't want them to wake up and have a change of heart.

She came up the stairs with the tray full of bacon, eggs, black pudding and sausages for Stuart and a small portion of bran flakes with a small fruit salad for pudding for Audrey. It was their favorite and she was really sucking up to them. It had taken her quite a while and she was kind of happy because it meant that she had wasted a whole two hours.

She knocked on their door and when she heard the grunt she came in with the tray and set it down on their bedside tables. She then took the tray downstairs and not knowing what else to do went up to the attic again and started thinking what she was going to take with her to the school in September. Only two weeks away!

She spent the rest of the morning like that, until it was ten anyway. Then she ran downstairs with her letters and took the money she had got yesterday and waited at the door, despite being about an hour early.

When the knock finally came however, there was a looming shadow in the doorframe so it couldn't be him. It would have to be someone different. Slightly nervous but insanely excited she opened the door and gasped.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi i prefer this chapter a lot more than the last one so its a bit longer than i meant it to be since i couldn't stop writing because i couldn't find a good place to stop but overall i think that this is one of my best chapters. also i have tried to do a couple of accents a bit so you might have to use a bit of your imagination too because they're not very good. again please review and tell me if i should continue with the accents, if there are any spelling mistakes please point them out to me and also where think that the story should go! thx again for reading up to this point because i know the last chapter was a bit boring (well it was for me anyway) so thx, Amawyn**

Jess opened the door to see an enormous man. When she was standing normally she was looking into his chest. She looked up at the smiling face and grinned. The smile he wore was catchy. The massive big black eyes were overjoyed and Jess wasn't sure why. He had a massive bushy beard that matched his curly black hair. He wore a long overcoat with about twenty pockets but she felt it might be rude to ask how many there actually were.

"Erm…hi?"

"Hello I'm Rubeus Hagrid groundskeeper of Hogwarts but jus' call me Hagrid. I'm suppos' to take you to Diagon Alley have you got all your stuff because Professor Dumbledore said t' ask you if you would like t' stay in the Leaky Cauldron until term starts?"

Jess was doing a lot of gasping at the moment and now wasn't an exception. This would mean that she wouldn't come back to this horrible place for a whole year! Jess tried to let that sink in while she was running up the stairs and into her attic as she shoved random bits of stuff that she probably wouldn't ever use. She was ready in minutes because of the fact that she had already half-packed and she didn't have much to begin with. She ran downstairs again as quickly as she could and ran out of the door.

"Tha' was quick!" he stated.

"Yer, I'm a quick packer." Jess said, slightly embarrassed.

"Don't you wanna say good-bye to your parents? They might be worried if you don' come home."

"Mmm…." Jess said obviously not convinced. Still she did shout up the stairs to them, for they were both still in bed as it was a Sunday. "Bye, I'm not coming home for another year, seeya!"

Then she shut the door and walked down the garden path not even knowing if they had heard her. She didn't care. She was going to her dream school so what did she care if they didn't know she had left. Still she asked the big man, Hagrid, where the leaky cauldron was and how they were going to get there.

"Well, we're gunna have to take muggle transport into London, where the Leaky Cauldron is so…"

He obviously hadn't got this planned very well.

"Train, we'll go by train. I think I remember the route as I used it yesterday and if I cant then we can easily find the route out."

"Yer. That's a good idea but you'll have to teach me how t' use these 'trains'. Never used them before."

Jess couldn't believe her ears. "What do you mean 'you've never used trains before'? Where on earth do you come from if you have never used trains before?"

"Well they are muggle transport and I come from a wizard family so…" his gruff voice sounded a bit hurt so Jess tried to make amends.

"I didn't mean it in a bad way. I'm sorry I was just surprised."

By this time they were at the train station as it wasn't very far away from the Sloam's house.

Jess queued up and bought them both some tickets. Jess wasn't sure what to get him, as 'giant' wasn't on the list but in the end just got an adult. When she looked back some muggles were looking up at him with expressions jess read to be fear, which really did surprise her, as her first impression was happiness. She guessed it must just be his size as that was the most dominant feature about him. As soon as she was done buying the tickets she walked over to him and said that they needed to be on platform three in five minutes so they had to get a move on.

The journey was quite easily actually because once they were in London Hagrid seemed to know his way around.

"Err…Hagrid, Professor mentioned something about wizard money but I don't have any so how am I going to but my things?"

"Ah not ta worry! We'll go ta Gringotts. I'm sure your parents left you some money." His black eyes shone when he mentioned Jess' parents and once again she wondered what was going on it his mind.

They finally got to the Leaky Cauldron and they went inside. It was dimly lit with witches and wizards everywhere. Jess suddenly found herself very shy and hid behind Hagrid. The barkeeper shouted out to Hagrid, "A pin' again 'Agrid?"

"Nah, not this time, Tom, I'm on business." Hagrid patted Jess' shoulder and pushed her round to face the landlord. He had a bad stoop and looked like he had no teeth either, which was strange. He was old but obviously remembered his customers.

He looked at Jess and she dropped her gaze.

"Well, who do we have 'ere, 'Agrid?"

"Tis' Jess Nidora, Tom." And the mention of Jess' second name the whole bar went silent. Jess blushed even deeper red than before, which she didn't think was possible but apparently it was. Then the babble broke out again, but this time it was focused on her.

"I thought she died!" One witch exclaimed.

"Everyone did, Dora." Another wizard said.

"Alrigh' everyone, alrigh'." Tom was trying to quiet them all down but it wasn't really working very well. Luckily when Hagrid let out a booming cough the bar fell silent once more.

"Righ', well Tom, do you have a spare room to stay in until the first of September?"

"Sure I do! For one or for two?"

"Just one I have some stuff to do before term starts so I can' stay here," he turned to me and lowered his voice a little, "Right you might wanna go and put your stuff upstairs. We're going ta be doing a lotta shopping and at the same time I'll show you around Diagon Alley and then, when you're here on your own, you'll be able t' go aroun' on your own." He turned back to the counter again and asked Tom for the key. Once he had retrieved the key he started walking up the old rickety stairs. Jess followed him up the creaky stairs and onto the dark landing. On the landing there were about 100 different rooms leading off it but the landing wasn't very long. She looked back the way she had come and saw the stairs again. They had not stopped at this landing like she had thought but had continued going up. Jess was surprised about how many rooms there were with such a small space. Still she listened and watched as Hagrid stopped and said, "Room forty-severn please." And there it was, room forty-seven, right in between room forty-six and room forty-eight. She blinked a couple of times to make sure it wasn't just her eyes playing tricks on her. Nope. She laughed inwardly and took a breath. Then she entered room forty-seven.

It was the smell that hit her first, a sort of musty smell like one that you would get if nobody came in the room for a long time. Second was the sound, a constant chatter of lots of people that she felt comforted by. And lastly she opened her eyes, not quite knowing when she had shut them, and looked at the sight in front of her.

It was not posh and perfect like she feared it might be, but it was a spacious room with a double bed that probably would have looked a lot grander if it was new, a des that was made from a wood that she didn't recognize and a soft grey carpet that had rather a lot of suspicious stains.

She went over to the bed and dumped her suitcase onto it. Then she went over to the window to see what the view was like. She had found the source of the noise. Below her was a street filled with lots of people in cloaks and pointy hats. She was sure this is where she was headed. It looked beautiful and she couldn't wait to get down there so she ran to the bed and pullet out her purse, calmed herself, and walked over to Hagrid and asked to go.

They'd just made it through the crowd of people wanting her signature before they got out to the back yard. Not quite knowing why they had gone there she waited silently, she did not have to wait long. Hagrid, armed with a pink umbrella, tapped the brick wall mumbling. Suddenly the wall began to move and it gradually formed an archway into the most amazing street in the world. Bathed in a golden-ish light, was the street that Jess had looked down upon a minute ago.

It was a cobblestone street with beautiful old-fashioned houses along each side; except they weren't houses, they were shops. 'Potage's Cauldron Shop' was the first one she could see on her right and on her left was a shop called 'Flourish and Blottes'. The street was overcrowded and she couldn't see any more though.

"Righ', well we need ta go to Gringottes first to get some money out and also to change the money you have go' but stay close alrigh'."

"Sure, sure." Jess agreed.

Hagrid set of at a quick pace and Jess followed behind not needing to push herself through the crowd because he was doing it for her. As she went past the shops she made a note in her mind of where they all were in her mind so she would know where to go for each of her things.

"Apothecary; Quality Quiddich Supplies; Wiseacre's

Wizarding Equipment; Eeylops Owl Emporium & Magical Menagerie; Florean Fortescue's Ice-Cream Parlor; Madam Malkin's…"

She kept going all the way to Gringotts but when she got in front of it she just gasped at the amazing sight. The stone that it was built from was snowy-white and the contrasting bright bronze doors where guarded by a creature that was shorter that Jess and that had long fingered feet and hands. She thought at first that it might be an elf since it had pointed ears but thought again at its ugliness.

"Ok, so not to seem rude or anything but what is that?"

"O that's a goblin. Careful aroun' them; they're trixy at the bes' o' times."

Jess gulped and tried to answer but it came out a little strangled, "Cool."

They walked up to the doors that magically opened as they came near them and she gazed at the grand red interior. She thanked the guard who bowed at them as they went past and received a couple of funny looks from both Hagrid and the Goblin but Jess thought she had done the right thing.

There was a short walk with led up to another pair of gigantic doors which were silver this time but had a message engraved onto it. Jess did her best to read it and memorize it. It read:

'Enter, stranger, but take heed

Of what awaits the sin of greed,

For those who take, but do not yet earn,

Must pay most dearly in their turn,

So if you seek beneath our floors

A treasure that was never yours,

Thief you have been warned, beware

Of finding more than treasure there.'

Jess shivered and watched as the doors opened for them again. Then as the doors revealed the interior of the graceful building she gasped and through her hand up to her mouth. It was beautiful. The red and gold so richly decorated the room with the red and silver carpet leading up the middle of the huge hall. On the sides of the main walking bit were the goblins. On a single long row of desks sat loads of goblins all stamping their stamps on the poor pieces of paper.

Hagrid walked up to the nearest goblin and cleared his throat loudly. The goblin ignored him the first couple of times so on the fourth time of a really exaggerated cough he finally looked up from the paper he was stamping and asked Hagrid:

"Was there something you wanted, Sir?"

"Yer, I would like to access the Nidora vaul' please."

"The Nidora vault has been closed for years as to help remember them. Good day." The goblin said calmly.

"Yer bu' their daughter is here t' access her vault and Professor Dumbledore gave me the key to it. So I'd like access the vault please."

At hearing this, the goblin looked up fro his stamping and stepped over his desk to look down upon Jess. Jess was scared but did her best to hide her fear so she held his gaze as his eyes bored into her. A minute passed in that way before the goblin looked away.

"Very well I shall get Nonack to show you to your vault."

With that he drifted off and returned in the same drifting manor with another goblin in tow.

"Thank you." Jess said trying to be polite. Again the goblin looked at her but this time she was embarrassed so she blushed and looked down.

Nonack took them both through some doors and stepped into a cart much like a roller coaster one except this one looked a little more scary and had no visible structure to the rail. Except with this roller coaster you couldn't see where it was going.

Jess had never been on a roller coaster before, only seen them on TV, and she thought that it was scary but not that bad. However, Hagrid didn't agree and was turning a yellowish colour.

But jess was more interested in her surroundings. Having shut her eyes tightly on the ride she hadn't noticed where they were going. She could tell that they were underground though. She looked around at the slimy dripping walls of the underground and then looked back at the door. It was huge and round made of the same stone as the walls were. At her chest level was a tiny keyhole.

Jess stepped out of the cart, wobbling slightly as she adjusted to her new surroundings, and watched the goblin jump easily out of the cart and up to the side. When Hagrid had finally got out of the cart and made it to the pavement Jess thought he looked terrible. Still the goblin asked, rather rudely Jess thought, for the key and Hagrid looked in each one of the twenty pockets bringing out odd things like half-rotten sandwiches and keys. Finally he found the right key, which was a tiny one, and gave it to the goblin.

The goblin put the key into the door, tuned it and the door swung open. Jess looked, blinked, then looked again. in the new torchlight the mass of gold gleamed.


End file.
